Performance review: Psychopomp, Taylor Square Substation, Pride Fest

Psychopomp was one of the many productions taking place this month in Sydney as part of Qtopia’s celebration of Pride Fest, which celebrates the talent of the LGBTQIA+ community. It demonstrated an astoundingly high standard of creativity and execution. 

The performance took place inside the Substation, an intimate space that seats around 50 and is located at Taylor Square and across from Qtopia’s main building on Forbes Street. To enter the Substation, you must separate from the vibrant rainbow-lights of Oxford Street and head down a narrow flight of stairs into the graffiti-lined walls of a refurbished underground electrical hub. 

The action of entering this space evoked a sense of mystery, trepidation and adventure. It is in this historic character-filled space that the audience met their host for the evening – the enigmatic and magnetic Poppy. 

Dressed in an orange clown suit with smudged eye make-up and a light in their eyes, Poppy greeted everyone individually, igniting a dance between feeling cautious and feeling accepted. It did make you instantly want to smile. 

Following this greeting, Poppy invited each audience member to take an item that had been laid out along the perimeter of the stage floor alternated between flickering tea lights. They included a very long cucumber, a teddy bear, stuffed dog, box of tissues, fruit, fake roses, sparkling water and a box of Cheezels. 

As the audience settled into their seats, it quickly became clear that we were here to help Poppy conduct a séance. The motivation for this séance was that Poppy had been experiencing several mental health concerns and had used up the quota of government subsided sessions. Poppy was seeking other avenues of support, not from a psychologist but from a psychopomp. 

A psychopomp is a spirit whose role it is to guide souls during the afterlife or while in a state of transition between the conscious and unconscious mind. 

The audience were there to assist Poppy summon and manifest the psychopomp through the items they held. From there the performance alternated between two characters played by the one actor in an absurd and fast-moving comedy. The production did contain adult themes. 

The narrative involved getting to know the stories of both characters and it evolved to the point where the psychopomp did not want to return to the afterlife because they were finding too much pleasure in the world of the living.

Psychopomp asked the audience to come and play, be connected and get involved. Poppy engaged and incorporated us into the performance throughout. Symbolically the audience was even responsible for manifesting the psychopomp and also asked to vote on whether the psychopomp should stay in the realm of the living in place of Poppy. This resulted in a touching experience as the audience had formed an attachment toward both characters, and in a short space of time.

This was an example of outstanding construction, writing and performance – and on a low budget. There was brilliant use of humour throughout. An example of this was when the psychopomp shared audio stories about the matter-of-fact sexual exploits of Dorothy (the daisy-chain swinger) and Jerry (a reserved gentleman seeking company). While there were spicy details in both stories, the overall subtext focused on connection. This subtext was also emulated in the bond we formed with the characters – and for a limited time – with each other.

Poppy Mee was superb as both characters, conveying energy, performing with physicality and selling the story. The audio at times was a little low in volume and, even then, Mee incorporated the humour into the performance, by simply asking Jeremy (the one-person sound and lighting assistant) to adjust it as directed. 

The choice of lighting was effective with simple spotlights casting two silhouettes on to the back wall of the substation to indicate the presence of the two characters and to create a sense that the psychopomp was still present when Poppy was speaking.

The humour used in the performance masked deeply profound philosophical questions about our mortality and the paths we choose to take in life.  

Read: Theatre review: The Spare Room, Belvoir St Theatre

It is not very often that you find yourself being blown away by the talent of one individual, but Poppy Mee achieved this in this one-person production. It was an intelligent, philosophical, creative and quirky show.

Psychopomp, Substation, Taylor Square 
Artist/Performer: Poppy Mee

Psychopomp played from 11-13 June 2025 as part of Qtopia’s Pride Fest. The program continues until the end of June 2025.